Armored Insect Corps Beetras
Armored Insect Corps Beetras (機甲虫隊ビートラス Kikō Mushi-tai Beetras)[1] is a short-lived 1984 toyline and franchise produced by Takatoku Toys, with designs from Artmic. It became relevant to the Transformers franchise in 1985 when Hasbro borrowed all four of its figures to create the little-appearing "Deluxe Insecticons".
Conceived as an answer to the boxy Insect Robo of Diaclone that would become the core trio of Insecticons, Beetras did not live for long, as Takatoku closed down soon after they began the toyline, leaving figures beyond the third unreleased and ceasing production of a planned cartoon. Artmic seemingly attempted to continue the franchise in another form, as Beet Seven (ビートセブン), but this produced even more scant media and merchandise. Ultimately, all of Takatoku's assets were bought out by Bandai and the Beetras molds were lent to Hasbro in 1985 for use in The Transformers.
Origins
The idea for Armored Insect Corps Beetras seems to have began when creator Shinji Aramaki (yet to work at Artmic) proposed a line of "realistic bugs", after seeing the boxy Insect Robo produced by Takara for Diaclone, to Artmic President Toshimitsu Suzuki in 1983.[2] From there, they worked in conjunction with Takatoku Toys, developing at least five designs to sell as action figures of robots that could convert into insects (which, despite the name's implication, are not all beetles).
Story
There is no fully definitive backstory for the series, but most media uses a general template. The fictional setting of the franchise takes place in in the 1980s or the contemporary near future, where inhabitants of Komun (コムン), an advanced city hidden within Earth in a "hollow world" are split into two tribes—the Ekimu (エキム),[3] a peaceful offshoot of the Mayans who migrated underground and developed mental, spiritual, and physical strength beyond that of surface humans, and the Gaimu (ガイム),[4] who were once like the Ekimu, but their selfish natures corrupted them into monsters. The two tribes are initially at peace (or the Gaimu are under the control of the Ekimu), but ecological destruction on the surface world causes turmoil in the world within. The Gaimu take the opportunity to invade the world above with their monstrous Mecha Insects (メカ昆虫 Meka Konchū), while the elite soldiers of Ekimu (titled "Beet") led by Karimu arrive to save humanity with Beetras—Battle Expert Emergency Task Ranger Anthromobile System. Accompanying the Ekimu is human Mamoru Daichi.
Versions of the backstory are given in pamphlets included with the toys and model kits. Beetras had a six-chapter comic published in TV-kun created by Gaku Miyao (宮尾岳氏), who made the finalized designs for the non-mecha characters. Initial character design was by Shin'ichi Kuruma (来留間慎一).
Mecha
All media under the Beetras name uses five Insecter (インセクター) mecha, with corresponding pilots, listed below. They feature three different modes: Beet-Attacker (robot mode), Beet-Mobile (insect mode), and Beet-Hover (an in-between mode).
- Beet-Gadol (ビート・ガドル)[5] rhinoceros beetle piloted by Beet-Karimu (ビート・カリム) and Mamoru Daichi (大地 守)
- Upgrades into Heracles-Gadol (ヘラクレス・ガドル), Hercules beetle
- Was used for Barrage.
- Beet-Gugal (ビート・グガル),[6] stag beetle piloted by Beet-Karuma (ビート・カルマ)
- Upgrades into Hyper-Gugal (ハイパー・グガル), alternatively named Great-Gugal (グレート・グガル)
- Was used for Chop Shop
- Beet-Zeguna (ビート・ゼグナ),[7] cicada piloted by Beet-Torumo (ビート・トルモ)
- Was used for Venom
- Beet-Vadam (ビート・バダム),[8] grasshopper piloted by Beet-Kirumo (ビート・キルロ)
- Toy was unreleased in Japan. Color scheme is unfinalized between mecha art and toy photography.
- Was used for Ransack
- Beet-Papil (ビート・パピル),[9] ladybug piloted by Beet-Ramiru (ビート・ラミル)
- No toy release, unlikely to have one planned.
- Named Beet-Leide (ビート・レイデ)[10] in Beet Seven
Beet Seven incorporates two more mecha, but their providence is unclear. The name confusion regarding Beet-Papil seems to imply that those two were designs not finalized for at least the initial push of the franchise.
Beetras in Transformers
After managing to release at least three figures and complete the serialized comic, Takatoku collapsed as a company, halting any further plans for Beetras. Their assets would ultimately be bought out by Bandai, who then subsequently loaned the four Beetras molds to Hasbro, who was desperately needing molds to fill out the 1985 product line of the unexpectedly popular Transformers. All four were given new color schemes as the "Deluxe Insecticons", although early art and photography uses the Beetras decos for most of the Deluxe Insecticons. As Bandai at the time was only concerned about business in Japan, Hasbro was free to sell the molds as Transformers figures in non-Japan markets, but couldn't use the Deluxe Insecticons in the accompanying cartoon, as to not step on the toes of Bandai or Artmic. (Artmic's mark is still visible on the Deluxe Insecticons, as the studio's logo is found on the toys' packaging.) They were also not included in the contemporary comic in the United States and only made inconsistent appearances as individuals, not as a group, in more minor media.
In later times, the Deluxe Insections have made more appearances, eventually even getting modern toys in the Generations toyline. References to Beetras itself in Transformers are scant, beyond name references like Beet-Chit and Beet-Chop.
References
- ↑ The translation is often given as "Armored Insect Battalion Beetras" in English secondary sources, but the title used in this article is the only official English one given, found on the model kit packaging.
- ↑ "In an interview for “Artmic Design Works”, Beetras creator Shinji Aramaki described the impetus of the series: “Toy company T_____ released some toys called ‘Insect Robo’, and I thought ‘Wouldn’t it be great if they turned into more realistic bugs?’"—Necronomitron, Twitter, 2022/07/12
- ↑ Based on an odd reading of "beneficial insect" (益虫 ekichū) as ekimushi.
- ↑ Based on an odd reading of "pest" (益虫 gaichū) as gaimushi.
- ↑ From kabutomushi (カブトムシ, "rhinoceros beetle").
- ↑ From kuwagatamushi (クワガタムシ, "stag beetle").
- ↑ From semi (セミ, "cicada").
- ↑ From batta (バッタ, "grasshopper").
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 From papillon (パピヨン), French for "butterfly".
- ↑ From "ladybug" (レディバグ).
- ↑ From hikari (ヒカリ, "light").
